Applegarth shows its colors

Students celebrate drug-free communities during Red Ribbon Week.

By: Melissa Hayes
   MONROE — Visitors at the Applegarth Middle School might have thought they were seeing red last month with all the red ribbons, red stickers, red decorations and red clothing decorating the school.
   The color theme was the students and staff’s way of showing their support for Red Ribbon Week.
   "We’re covering it big time here," said Doreen Mullarney, a student assistance counselor and event organizer.
   Red Ribbon Week is a national celebration of drug-free communities celebrated during the last week in October to commemorate the death of DEA Special Agent Enrique Camarena who was killed during a drug trafficking investigation in 1985.
   This year’s theme was "Building a Safe and Healthy Community Together."
   "This week we talked about drug and alcohol prevention and living a healthy life," she said.
   Ms. Mullarney made it fun for students by having a Really Red Day, where students and staff wore red to school. They also had Sock It to Drugs Day where students wore red socks to school. Red ribbons also were tied on various items in the building.
   Jeanine Connelly’s language arts class won the Oct. 29 Red Ribbon Door Decorating Contest.
   "It was interactive, a student was Velcroed to the door, there was a button that the judges could press and the student would say a fact about drug awareness," Ms. Mullarney said.
   The class, which is part of the Vega team, won water bottles with drug-free logos on them and a $25 American Express gift certificate which will be used for a classroom event of the student’s choices.